Markets afternoon briefing

View an online version of this email here.  All times are London time: Friday Dec 19 2008 FT.com - Financial Markets News Wall St boosted by auto industry plan Dec 19 2008 15:23 Wall Street stocks received a boost after President Bush unveiled long-awaited plans to stave off imminent collapse of the US car industry Read more » Sterling index touches fresh lows Dec 19 2008 10:17 Sterling hit a fresh historic low against a basket of currencies on Friday, as the likelihood of UK interest rates reaching zero and the exceptionally bleak outlook for the economy continued to hammer the pound Read more » Oil slides towards $35 a barrel level Dec 19 2008 11:11 Crude oil prices remained under pressure amid mounting doubts that Opec members would fully comply with Wednesday's announcement of the largest supply cut in the cartel's history Read more » Miners take heavy toll on FTSE Dec 19 2008 14:51 Resource stocks were the heaviest fallers on London's equity market on Friday. There was also further insight into the impact of the economic slowdown on companies exposed to discretionary spending after a profit warning from Lookers Read more » Engineers add to pressure on bourses Dec 19 2008 15:02 European markets extended their losses on Friday, as resource stocks dragged indices lower. Engineering companies weakened after news of falling orders at ABB Read more » BoJ decision fails to jolt Asia markets Dec 19 2008 10:02 Asia-Pacific markets were mixed ahead of a decision by the Bank of Japan on whether to cut interest rates, with commodity-related shares receiving further pressure after oil dropped below $40 per barrel again Read more » ABOUT THIS EMAIL You have received this email because you have signed up for this briefing on FT.com Manage subscriptions | Unsubscribe | Change your email address Change whether you receive this email as HTML or plain text | Forward this email to a friend Privacy policy | Advertise | Contact © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. The Financial Times Limited, registered in England and Wales number 227590. Registered office: Number One Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HL. VAT number GB 278 5371 21.